The NBCSN rivalry game on Wednesday night has the Washington Capitals visiting the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals have the best record in the Eastern Conference while the Flyers are fighting just to make the playoffs. These teams have met twice this season with each team winning at home.
The Flyers have done well in this series in Philadelphia, winning 7 of the last 10, but they will still be listed as home underdogs on Wednesday night.
At 8 p.m. ET, tune into NBCSN for live television coverage of this NHL game on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at the Wells Fargo Center.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Capitals are wrapping up a three-game road trip but they have had two days off since playing in New York on Sunday. Washington was 15-12 in their first 27 road games with 12 games going over, 8 going under with 7 pushes.
The Flyers have also had two days off as they played in Vancouver on Sunday. Philadelphia is 17-13 in their first 30 home games with 12 games going over, 12 going under with 6 pushes.
The Capitals should be listed as a favorite in the range of -130 with the total at 5 over or 5.5 under.
Special Teams
The Capitals do virtually everything well as they are 8th on the power play at 21.5% and 2nd in goals per game at 3.4 per contest. They are 5th in penalty killing at 84.2% and they are 1st in the league in fewest goals allowed at 2.1 per contest.
The Flyers are 11th in the league on the power play at 20.6%, while they are 23rd in the league in goals at 2.5 per contest. The Flyers are 19th in penalty killing at 80.9% and they are 26th in goals against at 3 per contest.
Do you remember earlier this season when the Flyers had a 10-game winning streak? It seems like a long time ago as Philadelphia has all the looks of a team that is going to miss the playoffs. It would be the first time in NHL history a team has missed the playoffs after having a 10-game winning streak during the seasons.
Philadelphia was just 8-14-4 in their next 26 games after their winning streak ended. The Flyers have a lot of issues that are not going to be resolved anytime soon. They are poorly run from the owner all the way down the line so there will be no quick fixes. Captain Claude Giroux has two goals in his last 23 games and he is a -22 in his last 27 games. It isn’t all on Giroux as the roster is full of management mistakes.
Goalie Report
The Capitals have two very good goaltenders with Braden Holtby the starter with a 29-13 record and a 2.01 goals against average, while Philipp Grubauer is 10-5 with a 1.98 goals against average.
The Flyers don’t have a clear number one, as Michal Neuvirth is 9-8 with a 2.82 goals against average, while Steve Mason is 16-23 with a 2.90 goals against average.
Free NHL Picks
The Capitals have won six of the last ten in this series with three of the last five going under with two pushes. Washington has only three wins in the last ten in Philadelphia with two of the last three going under the total.
The Capitals are the better team in virtually every aspect from coaching to forwards to goaltenders. The situation doesn’t favor either team as they have both had two days off. The series trends do favor the Flyers but I can’t make a case for taking a Philadelphia team that is clearly inferior to Washington. I will lay the small price and take the Capitals in this contest.
NHL Odds: Capitals 4, Flyers 2
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